Hoping To Avoid A World Of Trouble

October 05, 1993|By JERRY TRECKER; Courant Staff Writer

You can't blame the folks at World Cup USA 1994 headquarters if October looks like a time to worry. Depending on what happens in certain qualifying games, the task of staging the event next summer could become dramatically more challenging.

First, there is the question of England, on the fringe of qualifying in European Group II. As we saw in the U.S. Cup at Foxboro in June, England doesn't have a strong team, so making the World Cup wouldn't exactly keep coaches of highly rated teams up nights. But everybody knows part of the English package is a collection of violent supporters who delight in causing trouble.

While U.S. authorities are confident they have the security resources to deal with the English hooligans, there will be no tears shed if the Dutch do everybody a favor and knock out England.

The bigger potential problem is the Asian qualifying finals, which kick off Oct. 15 in Doha, Qatar. The list of participants is enough to attract a media horde that will include political as well as soccer writers: Iran, Iraq, Japan, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and South Korea.

It isn't stretching the truth to say that with the exception of Japan, every other member of the final six represents a political enemy of somebody else in the pack. Since they all play one another over a three-week period, the chance for fireworks on and off the field is real.

You can argue the most-charged pairing. Is it Iran vs. Iraq (Oct. 22) or Iraq vs. Saudi Arabia (Oct. 24) or North Korea vs. South Korea (Oct. 28)? You can be certain that more than soccer pride will be on the line.

Only two will reach the United States, but it takes little imagination to see there are some teams that will create greater problems than others. Iraq, for instance, includes Saddam Hussein's son in its official party; he is head of the Iraqi soccer program and is directly involved in the team's preparation. Given the 1991 Persian Gulf war and the continuing tensions between Baghdad and Washington, the security measures needed for an Iraqi delegation might be extraordinary.

How good are Iraq's chances? Nobody seems to know. Other than World Cup qualifying, the Iraqis were kept out of the international sports arena much of the past decade because of wars with Iran and Kuwait. But their pedigree is good; the 1986 team played in the Mexican World Cup despite Iraq being in the midst of its lengthy war with Iran. By defeating China in the first round, Iraq already has sprung one major upset on the road to 1994.

On paper, South Korea is the group favorite, having qualified for the past two World Cups, but there are signs of fragility. Iran impressively eliminated Syria in the first round and has a history of World Cup participation, tying Scotland in Argentina in 1978. Like Iraq, Iran's international participation has been limited recently, so its actual strength is difficult to estimate.

Saudi Arabia and Japan have wealth and professional leagues to aid their preparation, but neither has reached the World Cup. North Korea, whose remarkable 1966 team eliminated Italy in one of the great soccer shocks of all time, remains essentially unknown and untested. The Saudis are probably the best bet among this trio.

What isn't unknown is the obvious: World Cup preparation will be much more difficult if Iraq and Iran emerge as the Asian representatives. You can bet that somewhere in World Cup USA 1994 headquarters in California this month, there will be some silent cheering for the other four teams.

U.S. signs Michallik U.S. Soccer signed eight players to contracts that will make them full-time U.S. national team players through the 1994 World Cup, including Janusz Michallik of Glastonbury. Joining Michallik are Jeff Agoos, Paul Caligiuri, Mark Chung, Fernando Clavijo, Brian Quinn, Mike Sorber and Peter Vermes